Notion Ink plans Android smartpad

Notion Ink appears to be working on an internet tablet that could stand out from the crowd by offering a good deal more than most - an Android OS, an NVIDIA Tegra chip, and a Pixel Qi transflective display.

That's a display that works like an LCD in normal interior lighting, but looks more like an e-Ink panel in direct sunlight, so it's still completely readable. The gadget will also have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HSDPA connectivity.

The 10.1-inch tablet is going to be on show at CES in January, so we'll be grabbing a proper hands-on then, but for know you'll want to know it has GPS, USB, HDMI, a 3.5mm headphone jack, mic input and a 3-megapixel autofocus camera.

Onboard storage will be 16GB or 32GB on an SSD, and the screen is matte, anti-glare, oleophobic (anti-oil) and scratch-resistant. Battery life is said to be 16 hours of web surfing over WI-Fi, or 8-hours of video playback.

Colour us impressed so far. The big question is, of course, the price, of which there's no indication just yet. You can bet that with the hardware the company has chucked in it won't come cheap. But we'll dig into this more at CES and find out. Stay tuned.